Have you ever felt that you could not
understand how to do a certain
dance move even though you have practiced it over and over and over
again? Do you feel like your dancing is just not improving although
you're dancing all the time? Have you hit that "Plateau" or roadblock?
A plateau can be described as that "Period of
time when the brain
assimilates new learning with old where no
progress is noted" It can
often take what seems forever to master a
difficult or even a simple
new pattern or technique.
Learning plateaus can result from
temporary self limitations or even be caused from outside forces
such as poor instruction or too
much content with insufficient practice time
provided. Either way,
plateaus happen to everyone!. They happen in
terms of excitement, motivational energy and that
joyful high feeling that you get when
you dance. Most experienced dancers are familiar with
plateaus in learning. For the new dancer
these plateaus can be very frustrating. They can lead to
decreased desire and interest in
learning to dance, loss of self-confidence, absence from scheduled
dance classes and events, and may even
be the cause of quitting dancing altogether.
When you feel yourself nearing that point,
consider the following:
• While your first impulse might be to take a
break from practicing
and/or lessons, this is
counter-productive in that you can't make
progress if the means to learn are no
longer there. Instead, increase
your commitment to learning. Don't
become a quitter!
• Examine your learning style. When a
move proves particularly
difficult, try adding it into a well
known pattern to attain more
practice without dwelling on the
particularly difficult step. Or,
break the step into smaller parts and
tackle one portion at a time.
• Is there too much going on? Too many
distractions can make it
difficult to concentrate. Remove
distractions by practicing at a less
busy time, practice alone using a
portable tape player or headphones,
or, if possible, learn techniques
involved in tuning out distractions.
• Change dance instructors or if you are
learning off tapes, borrow or
purchase a different one on the same
dance. Instructors all have their
own styles and techniques of
instruction, all of which are assimilated
differently by all of us.
• If you've given yourself inadequate time to
practice between
lessons, try increasing your practice
time either at home or on the
social dance floor.
• Consider your stress level. Are you too tense to
learn? Is the
drive too long? Is dinner or lunch
interfering with your practice? Is
the atmosphere of the dance studio
uncomfortable? Are your shoes and
clothing uncomfortable? Is the music
unpleasant? If your answer to any
of these questions is yes, then make
an effort change those factors
and decrease your stress level.
• Videotape yourself then compare
yourself to a videotape from your
instructor or of someone you'd
reasonably like to emulate. Slow motion
will reveal areas you need to work on.
Study them. What doesn't work
about them? How could they be improved?
What could you do to make
these moves look better? Pay attention
to your posture, your hands,
feet, and arms, your facial expression,
the direction of your gaze.
Make notes and make changes. Keep the
tapes for you next plateau, in
order to illustrate your progress.
To read entire article:
Learning
Plateaus 
Argentine Tango
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